Many churches wrestle with how to respond when members suggest beginning new ministries. Maybe they moved from a church in another state and want to begin a similar ministry at their new church. Maybe they noticed others churches with this ministry and feel compelled to keep up with what is going on in their area. In reality, neither of those are good reasons for beginning a ministry.

Consider using the following thoughts or talking points in your response to members who suggest the church begin a new ministry:

1. Listen to the person carefully. Ideally, schedule a time to speak in private.  Early on in the discussion, remind the person all ministries must align with the church's vision, values, or passions. Pray asking God to show you if this ministry is from Him. Pray with the person making the request and commit to continued prayer in that respect.

2. Ask the person making the request to describe what they believe God wants to accomplish through this ministry. Consider asking the person to put this in writing.  If people can put this in writing, they have likely spent time thinking and/or praying about it. If they seem hesitant, suggest they summarize the ministry on an index card. This forces them to be succinct. Many conversations end here because the person has not investigated or prayed about the ministry, but heard a friend or family member referencing the ministry in another church.

3. Ask the person to look at the possible new ministry through the lens of the church's core values, passions, vision, etc.  For example, today in my church a new ministry should clearly relate to one of our eight passions or we may let someone do it, but we shouldn't invest resources in it. Dig deep at this point. For example, if the person says the ministry will help our church be evangelistic, ask the person to describe 2-3 specific examples of how it will do so.

4. Ask the person to investigate who else is doing something similar to this.  Focus closely on the community since the ministry may be a partnership with an existing ministry instead of starting a new one. Talking to someone in another city is also helpful to find out what they would or would not do if they had it to do over again. You may find community resources or ministries you did not know existed at this point. 

5. Ask the person how the ministry would continue if he/she were suddenly unable to participate. This forces the person to plan for making sure the ministry does not revolve around one person. It also helps the church determine if this is a short-term project or an ongoing ministry.

6. Consider a short-term project to "test the water" to see what gaps may need to be addressed, if there are leaders willing to do the ministry, and to consider how long the ministry could be realistically sustained.

7. Continue to evaluate whether this ministry still aligns with the church's vision, values, or passions. Sometimes at this stage, some ministries have evolved into something else.

8. If you still feel God leading you to investigate this new ministry, ask the person to determine what resources are needed.  Keep in mind resources are more than money--they include people, space, time, etc.

9. Ask the person to join you in continuing to pray and ask God to show you 3-5 other people who might join you in the new ministry. These need not be limited to your church membership. For example, a Christian librarian might be interested in helping your church begin an after school reading club/ministry.

10. Determine a launch schedule if God is still leading you in this new ministry direction. 

Hopefully these suggestions will guide you in your discussions with church members wanting to begin a new ministry. I'd love to hear your additional suggestions or ideas.  You may email me at belindajolley@scbaptist.org.